“Most want to pile on the rules and play battle of the doctrines, whereas the rules naturally are followed if love is the foundation and motivation.”
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With all due respect I have to disagree. I can’t tell you how many people have “been on fire for God” in their youth...claiming to believe and be saved, only to slide into complacency and even disbelief later in life. Even those who have not completely fallen in their faith and have merely “backslidden”, merely rationalize grossly unholy living by the assertion that God’s too nice to deny a believing-sinner heaven. That belief is not biblical, and it’s a dangerous game to play.
Is not a license for lawlessness. "On fire" is not necessarily love. More like zeal without knowledge if people tire of it and trade it for unholy living, even to say, "Eh God is too nice to judge".
Righteous judgment is a fully balanced justice-mercy. God knows every context of every act in every detail. Nothing gets by Him, so He isn't mocked.
People who know Him know this and want to do things His way. If they mess up they do like David: admit it straight up, repent, and get right back on track. Not like Saul who kept making excuses (1 Sam 15).
Others mess with Him (and His son) at their own peril, thinking grace is blank check to abuse like the government abuses citizens' paychecks.
With all due respect I have to disagree. I can’t tell you how many people have “been on fire for God” in their youth...claiming to believe and be saved, only to slide into complacency and even disbelief later in life
There is no contradiction here. The rules naturally are followed if love is the foundation and motivation, and thus the examples you invoke simply have not kept their first love.